Defaecation pattern and intestinal transit in Nigerian children

The defaecation pattern and intestinal transit time of 410 apparently healthy children aged between 6 months and 5 years were studied by questionnaire and carmine red marker. The majority of the children ate a predominantly high residue diet. Stool frequency varied from once every other day to 5 times a day, with 95% of the children opening their bowels one to three times a day. There was a gradual decline in mean stool frequency with increasing age. The stool produced was usually soft and between 50 and 75 ml in size. Mean mouth to anus transit time in 98 randomly selected children from the study group was 18.3 hours. The information obtained from this study should facilitate early identification of diarrhoea and constipation in the Nigerian pre-school child.